Mamata accuses Centre of placing misleading reports in Parliament

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the BJP-led central government on Friday for pursuing a "political agenda" and accused it of placing misleading reports in Parliament on the issue of madrasas being used for radicalisation and recruitment activities in two districts of the state.

Instead of the report given by the state on the matter, the Centre placed a "report of its own in Parliament", the Chief Minister said. "When specific questions are asked in Parliament, the Centre seeks a reply from the state government on those issues. On June 28, we were asked whether the students in the madrasas in the bordering districts were being radicalised. We gave a reply that such a question did not arise. But they (Centre) did not place our report (in Parliament), rather gave a reply of their own," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said in the Assembly.

She also placed the report on the madrasas of the state in the House. "Anti-socials are anti-socials, they should not be related with any religion. A thief is a thief. If an incident happens, the government will take action. The BJP is trying to politicise everything. They are sending letters of (central) agencies to every department. They are threatening everybody," Banerjee said.

The Centre had conveyed its concern to the West Bengal government over the recent political violence in the state, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday. He had added that information was received about a number of incidents of violence before, during and after the general election, resulting in deaths and injuries to several people, including political workers, in West Bengal.

"Concern on the issue was shared by the government with the state government and an advisory was issued on June 9, 2019 asking the state government to maintain law and order, peace and public tranquillity in the state," he had said replying to a written question in Parliament.

The Union minister had also said there were inputs regarding the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh using certain madrasas in Burdwan and Murshidabad districts of the state for radicalisation and recruitment activities.